1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling installation for the reduction of the oil temperature of oil-lubricated damping bearings and, in particular, pivot or thrust bearings for high-speed rotating bodies.
In friction bearings, pivot bearings, as well as other types of mechanical bearings, the heating of the lubricating oil, which is produced as a result of the frictional heat present at the bearing location, quite often poses a problem. Inasmuch as lubricating oils are poor heat conductors, the heat significantly builds up about the bearings, so as to lead to the premature destruction of the bearing. Moreover, it is frequently worthy of effort to avoid oil vapors which cause undesirable side effects. For instance, in fluid flow engines, side effects can be produced through an admixture of the oil vapors with the flow medium. Similarly, the penetration of oil vapors into the evacuated chamber of a rotor which is driven in a vacuum may be connected with disadvantageous results.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A method is known for the avoidance of an increase in the oil temperature, in which the oil reservoir of the bearing is connected to a closed flow circuit wherein, through circulation, the oil as well as the bearing are maintained in a cool condition.
These installations, in many instances, and in particular for rotational bodies operating in a vacuum, have serious technical problems associated with their fabrication, to the point where there is substantial doubt that they may be successfully manufactured at all.